Kansas City Pioneers Press Releases

Into the Great Wide Open +

Pioneers Hire New Assistant, Face Uncertain Offseason KANSAS CITY, MO (AP) -- The Kansas City Pioneers today announced the hiring of new assistant coach Thomas Rousseau to a 3 year contract. Rousseau, 56, -- a former star guard for the French men's national basketball team -- brings over 25 years of experience coaching in the LNB Pro A league, the top-tier professional basketball league in France. This will be Rousseau's first time coaching in the OBWL. He replaces former assistant Joseph Bricker, who at age 63 retired in the offseason. "Thomas has a great reputation as a player's coach and in particular in developing players' shooting and handling skills" said Pioneers GM Ben Johnson, speaking with reporters in a scheduled conference call. "He came…Read More

1,000 +

TORONTO, CA (AP) -- Despite 26 points and 16 rebounds from the OBWL's leading scorer and reigning MVP Charles Flowers, the Kansas City Pioneers managed to escape from Toronto with a 105-103 win over the Huskies. In a hard fought game that featured a clash between All Star big men in Flowers and the Pioneers' own Charles Cazares, it was sometimes-starting center Joe Turner who improbably won the game for Kansas City. With the game tied at 80 heading into the fourth quarter, the Huskies pushed out to a 7 point lead on Jonathan Weaver's three pointer with 4:45 left in the game. The Pioneers tightened up defensively over the next four minutes, taking a 103-100 lead on a free throw…Read More

Pioneers 2026 Draft Recap +

KANSAS CITY, MO (AP) -- Following the trade of All Star Mack Lavoie to the Manhattan Swing the Kansas City Pioneers found themselves with the #10 pick in the 2026 OBWL Rookie Draft, their highest draft pick since they drafted Marshall Gaudett with the 4th overall pick in 2015. Entering the draft the Pioneers were interested in adding a youthful wing to the roster and were rumored to have brought UNLV forward Gerald Mathers and San Diego state swingman Bryant Walsh in for multiple workouts. When the time to select #10 came, the Pioneers front office was shocked: the player they had ranked as the #1 prospect in the draft, St. Peter's forward Ambrose Vela, was still on the board. "There…Read More

Goodbye and Hello +

KANSAS CITY, MO (AP) -- The Kansas City Pioneers were surprisingly active on the eve of the 2026 OBWL Rookie Draft, announcing a trade that sent All Star Mack Lavoie to the Manhattan Swing in exchange for PF Johnnie Bechtel, SG Mark McKelvey, and the #10 overall pick. The move marked the third offseason in a row that GM Ben Johnson has made a significant trade involving All Star caliber players. In 2024, Johnson dealt Pioneers mainstays Colby Allan and Darell Edwards in return for Lavoie and Richard Hardee, and then in 2025 acquired All Defense 1st Team forward Charles Cazares from the Denver Demons. The trades represent the franchise's ongoing effort to retool, reboot, or rebuild on the fly after…Read More

Pioneers Fill Staff Vacancy, Prep for Draft +

KANSAS CITY, MO (AP) -- The Kansas City Pioneers have hired 61-year old Joseph Bricker, formerly of the Indiana Invaders, as an Assistant Coach and Player Development Coordinator. Bricker has reportedly signed a four year deal at $750,000 per. Bricker replaces the recently retired Brian Davis who spent the last 9 seasons in the same role for Kansas City. Davis, 61, decided to step away from the daily grind of being an OBWL assistant coach to focus on family and working part-time as a private player performance consultant and trainer. Bricker comes to KC after two seasons with the Invaders. Prior to that he spent nearly 30 years as a coach at various levels: 8 years as a Division II head…Read More

Pioneers Extend Lavoie, Turner +

KANSAS CITY, MO (AP) - The Kansas City Pioneers released a statement today announcing that they have extended the contracts of two starters, PG Mack Lavoie and C Joe Turner. The extensions came just a few days after the team traded backup PG Larry Burt to the Denver Demons, a move made to clear enough budget space to be able to offer extensions to both players. Turner signed a 3 year extension worth $9,945,000 (roughly $3.3 million per season). Turner has started 23 of 31 games this season at center and is averaging 5.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks in 25.9 minutes per game. Turner currently ranks third on the team in total rebounds (207) and second in total blocks…Read More

Friendly Competition +

KANSAS CITY, MO (AP) -- Training camp is a memory and preseason is over, so once again the basketball world is abuzz as the 80-game trench warfare known as the OBWL regular season kicks off in 2025. It's time to set aside the friendly exhibitions of October basketball as 28 teams fight and compete to become the ones to lift the Heikkinen Cup in June. The Kansas City Pioneers opened up the 2025 season at home against a pair of teams featuring familiar, friendly faces with connections to last season's blockbuster trade: The Honolulu Inferno, Pioneers center Richard Hardee's former team; and the Tampa Bay Tritons who now feature former KC superstar Colby Allan. Inferno 91 at PIONEERS 109 Richard Hardee…Read More

Cazares Arrives in KC +

KANSAS CITY, MO (AP) -- It's been nearly a month since the Kansas City Pioneers acquired PF Charles Cazares from the Denver Demons in exchange for PF Andrew Sutton, PG Nelson Jones, PG Abe Gutierrez, and C Chris Hauck. The Demons had a mandate from ownership to reduce payroll and had been stymied in talks with other teams regarding a trade involving the 1st Team All Defense forward. In the end Kansas City agreed to take on the remaining 4 years and $98.2 million on Cazares' contract in return for two players on expiring contracts (Jones, Hauck) and two with team options for next season (Sutton, Gutierrez). The deal gives Denver the option to effectively wipe over $20 million from their…Read More

Pioneers Get Back to Business +

KANSAS CITY, MO (AP) -- It's been a quiet two months around Pioneers HQ since the team's disappointing second round playoff loss to the eventual American Conference champion Kentucky Stallions. A very successful 66-14 season came to an unsatisfying early conclusion. The Pioneers actually outscored Kentucky in the series, by an average of 101.4 to 98.6, but the Stallions took the series by making all the right plays in the clutch. Kentucky won four games by a combined total of 14 points, and as result went on to defeat the defending champion St. Louis Sun Kings in the Conference Finals before losing to Colby Allan and the London Knights in the OBWL Finals. "This one was tough. I'm going to be…Read More

The Art of Progress +

"The art of progress is to preserve order amid change, and to preserve change amid order."— Alfred North Whitehead, 1929 KANSAS CITY, MO (AP) — In news that stunned some and surprised many, the Kansas City Pioneers announced today that they have traded their longtime starting backcourt of 2-time All Star and 2021 Playoff MVP Darell Edwards and 4-time All Star and 2021 OBWL MVP Colby Allan. As part of a three-team blockbuster, Edwards has been sent to the Honolulu Inferno and Allan moves to the London Knights. In return the Pioneers will receive 2-time All Star center Richard Hardee, G/F Mack Lavoie, and PG Nelson Jones. Pioneers GM and President of Basketball Operations Ben Johnson met with the press to…Read More

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